Electric spark-plug.



E. H. M. MEYER,

ELECTRIC SPARK PLUG. APPLICATION FILED mmza, 19KB.

WITNESS l/Vl/E/VTOI? far! H M Meyer A TTOR/VEV Patented Jan 2, 191?.

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' EARL H. m. MEYEmorsnArrLn, wasnmeron.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 2,1917.

Application filed} anuary. 28, 191( Serial No. 74,893.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EARL M. MEYER, citizenof the United -States,-residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State'of Washington, have invented -a certain new 1 and useful Improvement in Electric Spark- Plugs, of which the following is a specifica-.'

tion.

' Myinvention relatestoimprovements in electric; spark-plugs for internal combustion engines, and theobject of my invention is to provide an electricspark-plug, one of whose two electrodes shall be adapted to be 'adjustably moved, both rotatively and in a positions.

lengthwise direction, to difierentwith respectto the other one thereo as may be desired, either to change its distance from said other one'to vary theiwidthj'ofthe spark-gap therebetween or to disposean unused portion ofitsf surface at a, point directly opposite said other one of said electrodes. e I

A further object of mylinventio'n is to provide a spark-plug. all of whoseparts shall e so formed and assembled that said partsdental concussion due to careless handling or rough usage,

I accomplish these objects by devices illu strated in the accompanying drawings wherein.'

Figure 1 is aview in longitudinal mid-section of a spark-plug embodying myinvention; Fig. '2 isva view of the same in one endelevation,"showing that end which is to be disposed within the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine; Fig. 3

' isa view of the same in end elevation showing the'other end thereof, and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal mid-section of another .spark-plugshowing modified formsof-parts .of .my invention em- J bodied therein. Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to-the drawings, in Figs. 1,2 and 3, a metal body portion 5- is provided with a screw-thread 6'on'one of its end por- 'tions and with a hexagonal portion 7 dis- -'posed adjacent to.said screw-thread 6, and

is further provided with a concentrically disposed hole that extends throughout its length. Disposed within said hole, to extend throughout the length thereof, is a tightly fittedtube 8 having thick walls and made of material that is a non-conductor of electricity, which material, preferably, is

of a character that adapts it to withstand a high temperature without materially. impairing, its quality as an insulator of electr1city.-' V -Aifixed against 'the surfaces of each of the opposite ends of the tube 8 and the body portion 5 is an annular insulator, as insulators 9 and 10, the insulator 9 preferably being made of ten h material that will not be in-' juriously a ect'ed by changes in temperature under normal conditions of use, as-of vulcanized fiber, while the insulator 10 is made of a material that will withstand the high temperature to which it will be sub- Jectedwhen' disposed within the combustionchamber of an internal combustion engine, 7

as of steatite, porcelain or mica. 1

Disposed toextend through the insulator 10, the tube'S-and the insulator 9 is a metal rod 11, preferably of steel, which is thus insulated from the body'portion 5; and that end portion of said rod' 11 adjacent to the msulator 10 is provided with a screw-thread 12 upon which is disposed a nut 13 that is screwed'against the outer face of the insulator 10,.and adjacent to the outer face of the nut 13 the rod 11 terminates in an. integral eccentrically disposed electrode let of larger diameter.

The oppositeend portion of the rod 11 projects outwardly through the insulator 9 and such end portion is provided with a screw-thread 15 upon, which is disposed a nut 16, a check-nut 17 and a thumb-nutlS.

The nut 16 is screwed against the outer face of the insulator 9, and th'e check nut 17 is forcedagainst the outer face of the nut 16, while the thumb-nut 18-may be screwed against a connecting wire (not shown) of an electric circuit to bind such wire againstthe outer face-of the check-nut 17 The screw-threaded. end ofthe rod 11, that projects beyond the thumb-nut 18, is

provided with a slot 19 within which may be inserted the blade of a screw-driver in the operation of rotatively moving 'said rod 11, when the nuts 13 and 16 and check-nut 17 are loosened. Securely fixed in the end of the body portion 5, at a point between the edge of the tube-8 and the bottom of the grooves of the screw-thread 6, is an electrode 20, preferably of steehformed to project in a line parallel with the rod 11 for a distance beyond the nut 13 where it is bent to a right angle to ward the electrode 14 to terminate at a point that will provide a spark-gap of a desired -minimu-m width when the eccentrically .formed electrode l l is relatively disposed as ,shown' in Fig. 2.

Preferably the screw-thread 6-is of the size and pitch of a standard half-inch pipe thread thereby to correspond with the screwthread of the spark-plugs most commonly employed heretofore in connection with internal combustion engines.

" Manifestly, my spark-plug as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is so constructed that'its electrode 14 may. be moved in a lengthwise direction to present a fresh surface adjacent to the electrode 20 by the manipulation of the nuts 13, 16. and the check-nut .17 in-=a well known manner and also the width of 'the-spark-gap between said electrodes 14 and 20 may be changed, as desired, by turning "the rod .11 with a screw-driver applied to the slot 19 while said nuts are loose.

- InFig, i I have illustrated a portion of anothen sparkplugin all particulars like the structure of Figs. 1,- 2 and 3fexcept that the rod-'21" (which corresponds to the rod 11 of Fig. l) is not provided with a -screW- thread and;nut whichv corresponds to the screw-thread 12 and the nut 13 of Fig.1.,

and the innerTsideof the eccentric electrode 22 (which corresponds to the electrode l4 of Figs. land 2) is disposed. to engage directly with the-outer face of theinsulator 23 (which corresponds, to the insulator 10 of 8E8? AVAiLABLE COPE:

Fig. whereby said rod 21 cannot be moved in a lengthwise direction, but it can be rotatively moved to vary the widthot the spark-gap between the electrode 22 and the adjacent spark-gap that corresponds with the spark-gap 20 of Fig. 1.

Obviously changes-may be made in the forms, dimensions and arrangement of parts of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Whatlclaimis: A spark plug comprising a metal casing an insulating tubepositioned therein, an

apertured insulating disk positioned at each s In witness whereof, I liereuntosubscribe my name this 11th day of January, A. D., 1916.

' EARL H. M. MEYER.

Witnesses:

FRANK WARREN, O. JoHNsoN. 

